Renault has added a more powerful motor to the 2018 Zoe electric car model range which it says offers greater performance with no loss in range.

The manufacturer says the 109PS powerplant - the R110 - is 16PS more powerful than its predecessor, but carries over its energy efficiency, giving the new model a real-world range of 186 miles in urban and suburban areas.

The introduction of the R110 takes the number of variants of the Renault-designed and -produced motor available for Kangoo ZE, Master ZE, Zoe and Daimler’s smart electric drive up to five (60PS, 77PS, 82PS, 92PS and 109PS).

Elisabeth Delval, assistant programme director, Renault Zoe, said: “Thanks to this power boost, Zoe is even more responsive and versatile when used for journeys out of town.

"In addition to being able to enjoy the pleasure of driving a Zoe, drivers will also benefit from the longest range available for a mass-market electric car.”

The 2018 model year Zoe will also be available with Android Auto-enabled R-Link Evolution, which means drivers will be able to display driving-compatible Android applications stored on their smartphone (including Waze, Deezer, Spotify, TuneIn, Skype, Messenger, Audible and many others available from Google Play Store) on their car’s multimedia screen.

Order books for the 2018 model year Zoe will open in the UK in spring 2018, with first customer deliveries expected in late summer.

UK pricing will be announced closer to the on-sale date.